EOTD???

[tompallen]

I don't look at the end of my train every time, but when I've done so, I've never seen an EOTD. Should one always be there (day and night)? Should it always be illuminated (blinking, I gather)?

[Paul]

I think there is still a bug that makes it fall off randomly. I sometimes see them on the tracks.

[tompallen]

Thanks, Paul. I really should have made it clear that my question regarded the use of EODTs by real railroads, especially CSX.

[Captain1]

And whilst they've fixing the EOTD bugs perhaps they could also attach the air hose to it.

[OldAlaskaGuy]

Originally posted by Captain1:

And whilst they've fixing the EOTD bugs perhaps they could also attach the air hose to it.

I have seen air hoses go through it. Check trailing locomotives at cumberland.

[Captain1]

'"through it" v's to it. An EOTD, besides allowing for the engineer to know what the rear of the train is doing, is also capable of allowing the rear of the train to go into emergency at the same time as the front. This will only happen if the rear brake pipe is attached to the EOTD.

I think it's all 'academic' at this stage anyway as DTG have not animated the brake pipe ♥♥♥♥♥ (open & close valve) and they are presently in a different 'fixed' position on each example of included rolling stock.

Oh btw, it's the MU cable that's 'passing through' the EOTD not the brake pipe.

[OldAlaskaGuy]

Originally posted by Captain1:

'"through it" v's to it. An EOTD, besides allowing for the engineer to know what the rear of the train is doing, is also capable of allowing the rear of the train to go into emergency at the same time as the front. This will only happen if the rear brake pipe is attached to the EOTD.

I think it's all 'academic' at this stage anyway as DTG have not animated the brake pipe ♥♥♥♥♥ (open & close valve) and they are presently in a different 'fixed' position on each example of included rolling stock.

Oh btw, it's the MU cable that's 'passing through' the EOTD not the brake pipe.

Thank you for the correction.

[jaxdman]

Being a locomotive Engineer for CSXT out of NW Ohio. EOT's are used on all road trains(Hub to Hub), on Local Road Switchers at night, if there is no Caboose. Pullers(jobs that move freight from one yard to another) and yard jobs use red flags that are put into the hole at the top of the rear cars knuckle, unless they will be on a main line at night.

EOT's allow an engineer to see how much air is reaching the rear car, when the rear starts moving(which is vital to know, so you can start notching the throttle up), and to be able to "knock em in the head" from the rear end. EOT's are a last case scenario if you need to knock em in the head. There is a great chance you will bust a knuckle or even pull a draw bar(the steel arm the knuckle attaches to) out of the car. You are always watching the airflow to the EOT from the last car. This allows you to see how much air is being lost through the train. 90 LBS of air is optimal, but usually your running around 87-88 lbs. There always seems to be a rubber gasket that is cracked or a hose or resivoir that leaks. The battery in an EOT is supposed to be changed everytime it is taken off a car or if it has not been recharged for 72 hours. Does not mean it will be but those are generally the guidelines.

As an engineer you run your train by how it feels through your butt. I know it sounds stupid but you learn to understand and anticipate what your train is doing by the feel. I ran from Toledo, Ohio to Detroit Michigan, Chicago, Illinois, Cleveland, Ohio, and Columbus, Oh. I ran every type of train there was to run on the rails, Coal trains, Grain trains, Junk(mixed freight) trains, Steel(coils & pellet) trains, Circus trains, Military trains, AutoRack(regular cars and articulated) trains, Bomb(Hazmat)trains, Work(Track Maintenance) trains, and Special Load trains. Each one is ran differently and handles and is handled differently.

But the bottom line is that the EOT plays a huge roll in allowing an engineer to understand what is happening to the train a mile behind him.

[Captain1]

Thanks for this jaxdman, very much appreciated.

[jimoates014]

I can relate to the feel through your butt,40 years a truck driver in UK and that feeling tells you so much about what is going on, how much grip your tyres have, the way the truck leans in a bend, you can feel if your load begins to move. This feel is totally lacking in a home simulator, it would need something with hydraulic rams moving a mock up of a driving cab to simulate and more money than I'll ever have.

[nickhawk]

4 Patches and the EOTD is more bugged then at release, is it that hard to fix? At release it stayed until save and reload at the end of the train, but now it just falls of the train randomly and hovers somewhere on the track. I am wondering how many patches more we need until the EOTD will be fixed.

[ulteriormodem]

Saw one last night from an AI train evidently, Saw the red light in the distance zoomed over to it and ... LOL its a Fred!

[tompallen]

Originally posted by nickhawk:

4 Patches and the EOTD is more bugged then at release, is it that hard to fix? At release it stayed until save and reload at the end of the train, but now it just falls of the train randomly and hovers somewhere on the track. I am wondering how many patches more we need until the EOTD will be fixed.

Start your own tread, please?

[Captain1]

Good to see the EOTD finally attached to the air pipe in beta 4.5, although it still vanishes once you get moving.

[Videogame101]

If you are in cumberland yard just moving cars around is the eotd device just pop on to the back of the train or do you have to put it there manualley or is this only for senarios right now.

[Captain1]

As at build 64 (b4.5) the player has no control of the EOTD. They do appear on some services in 'service mode' and in scenarios however they 'fall off' at some stage when the train gets moving.

I hope that DTG are planning on giving us some manual control of placement or at the very least the ability for the game to auto place an EOTD at the end of a train headed by a locomotive and for the code to automatically move the EOTD along the consist when cars are decoupled.